Back in March, I was blah-blah-blahing about dry Australian rieslings. I rambled about their “refreshing, scintillating acidity that reminds me of tart citrus fruit.” I pontificated with lame alliteration that they are “dry and are utterly unsweet.” I even postulated with pious pomposity that: “when you get over your irrational fears of sweet rieslings by trying a dry Australian riesling, then you might try an Alsatian or Washington state riesling.”
Well, here I go again.
Why am I so hot on rieslings that I plagiarize myself? Well, obviously, I dig the category. But also, unlike early March when I got on my Australian riesling soapbox, it’s really hot now.
I was reminded of this situation at a dive meet between the Smoke Rise Sharks and the Smyrna Sharks (Smoke Rise 52, the other Sharks 50. Yeah!). Mid-90s, no breeze and humidity so high it made my naturally curly hair go limp.
Being a seasoned dive dad, I came prepared with a bottle of d’Arenberg’s The Dry Dam Riesling. “Whoa, Doctor!” as baseball legend Red Barber might have called it. Not only did it soothe the oppressive ambient weather conditions, it may have been the best Aussie riesling I’ve ever had.
If I have a beef with some rieslings from Down Under, they can be a tad too acidic, which can lead your tongue past tart refreshment toward puckering abrasiveness. The Dry Dam had just the right amount of acidity with revitalizing flavors of lime with a light mint quality. It also had bright orange and lemon citrus notes with ambrosialike floral aromas. All that and a “W” for Erika and Elise’s dive team made for a pleasant Sunday afternoon.
Gil Kulers is a certified wine educator and a wine consultant for Tower Beer, Wine & Spirits. You can reach him at gil.kulers@winekulers.com.
2007 d’Arenberg, The Dry Dam, Riesling, McLaren Vale, Australia
Two Thumbs Way Up
$16
Engaging floral aromas with ample scents of citrus, green pear and touch of mint. Refreshing with pinpoint acidity, this wine had tons of citrus fruit (especially lime), lime zest, green apple and pear with great minerality.
Note: Wines are rated on a scale ranging up from Thumbs Down, One Thumb Mostly Up, One Thumb Up, Two Thumbs Up, Two Thumbs Way Up and Golden Thumb Award. Prices are suggested retail prices as provided by the winery, one of its agents, a local distributor or retailer.
About the Author
